Monsieur Ibrahim

written and directed by Francois Dupeyron
based on the novel and screenplay by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

             Monsieur Ibrahim is certainly not the worst film involving the coming of age relationship between a teenage boy and an old man, but it does lack distinction. The teenager is Moses (Pierre Boulanger), a young Jew recently turned 16 who has just discovered the pleasure of his neighborhood’s prostitutes. Ibrahim (Omar Sharif) is the old man, a Turk who runs the local grocery that Moses occasionally pickpockets from. Ibrahim admits his knowledge of the thievery by declaring it better for the boy to steal from himself than someone punishing. He nicknames Moses “Momo” and begins dishing out life lessons. After advised on how important smiles are, Momo pays a visit to one of the few street walkers who hasn’t yet accepted his business, flashes some teeth and she takes him away to the tune of The Mar-Keys’ “Last Night”. The same song reoccurs often in similar situations. Other times the 60s-cool soundtrack includes artists like Sam the Sham and French “le yeye” music. The first half of the picture is familiar though entertaining and the brilliance of colors on screen is quite attractive. Later, though, the duo embarks on a continental road-trip that has a rushed result. At 95 minutes, the story is too short for a real connection to the characters and still too long an adaptation of the uneventful novella from which it’s based.